As is true of Jesus, practically nothing is known of John's boyhood except that he 'grew and became strong in spirit' - Luke 1:80 - The silence of his early years, however, was broken by his thundering call to repentance some time around A.D. 28-29, shortly before Jesus began His ministry. Exactly where John preached is not clear. Gospel of Matthew reports the place as the wilderness of Judea - 3:1 - but it is more likely that the area was Perea east of the Jordan River. Perea, like Galilee, lay within the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas, under whom John was later arrested.
The four Gospels are unanimous in their report that John lived 'in the wilderness'. There he was raised and was called by God and there he preached until his execution. - Luke 1:80, 3:2; Mark 1:4 - The wilderness - a vast bad land of crags, wind and heat - was the place where God had dwelled with His people after the Exodus. Ever since, it had been the place of religious hope for Israel. John the Baptist called the people away from the comforts of their homes and cities and out into the wilderness where they might meet God.
The conviction that God was about to begin a new work among this unprepared people broke upon John with the force of a desert storm. He was called to put on the people's hairy mantle with the resolve and urgency of prophet Elijah himself. Not only did he dress like Elijah, in camel's hair and leather belt; he understood his mission to be one of reform and preparation, just as Elijah did. - 2Kin. 1:8; Mark 1:6; Luke 1:17 - In the popular belief of time, it was believed that Elijah would return from heaven to prepare the way for the Messiah. - Mal. 4:5-6 -
John reminded the people of Elijah because of his outfit and behaviour. John was no doubt as rugged as the desert itself. Nevertheless, his commanding righteousness drew large crowds to hear him. What they encountered from this "voice...crying in the wilderness" was a call to moral renewal baptism and a messianic hope.
The bite of John's moral challenge is hard for us to appreciate today. His command to share clothing and food was a painful jab at a society that was hungry to acquire material wealth. When he warned the tax collectors not to take more money than they had coming to them, he exposed the greed that had drawn persons to such positions in the first place. And the authority whom he told to be content with their wages, must have winced at the thought of not using their power to take advantage of the common people. - Luke 3:12-14 -
John's baptism in water, was a repentance of sin and it is also a moral regeneration, administered to each person only once. He criticized the people for presuming to be righteous and secure with God because they were children of Abraham. John laid an axe to the root of this presumption. He warned that they, the Jews would be purged and rejected unless they demonstrated fruits of repentance and be baptise by him. - Matt. 3:7-12 -
John the Baptist effort at moral reform through baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, was the way of preparing peoples to meet God. He began his preaching with the words "Prepare a way for the Lord, make His paths straight" He had a burning awareness of one who was to come after him who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. In the course of his preaching he said, "Someone is following me, someone who is more powerful than I am and I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals. I have baptized you with water but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." - Mark 1:7-8 -
John was a forerunner of.......
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Sunday, May 24, 2009
I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!
I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.
HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -
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